Michigan

[babigyrl22]

Longhorns&Chickens :

From what ive seen and read through this chicken adventure your best defense is good breeding and great feeding. From talking with breeders and doctors....some chickens are just not from good breeding.

I find this interesting!! I find the same thing with our longhorn cattle, but I hadn't really thought to apply it to chickens! Longhorns had survive in the wild, which meant calving ease, disease resistance and a natural resistance to parasites as well as an ability to forage for food and water. All of that combined has created an awesome breed of cattle that are very easy to care for. It would be great to have chickens that are the same way! I understand that some things will require my intervention, but having healthy chickens able to resist a lot of the common poultry problems would be great! I know my cows can live into their twenties and still produce offspring every year! If my hens could produce more than a couple years it would be nice. Any thoughts on this? Any one specificly breeding for longevity and health? Just curious....​

There is a great article in Backyard Poultry magazine this month: Breeding for Vitality-Become a Steward of the Breed​

 

[hickchick55]

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I love this picture!

 

[hickchick55]

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With the skyrocketing price of sunflower seeds, my wild birds will be lucky to get fed this winter. Hoping the price comes down from what is was this spring.

 

[NovaAman]

Good Morning! Its sure looks to be a nice day today! YAY!
Now update on Miss Isa...

Gizzard infection...

Yeah...

She's on albon 2x a day.

Dr. Bader rechecked her droppings just incase, and was surprised that she doesn't have worms. I told him that Fred(hamilton vet) did a check and found nothing. Well Bader told me that it was really common for free range birds to have roundworm... But nothing. YEAH! So he's feeling her up and finds her gizzard and says its hard and inflammed, sooo, its either viral or bacterial. Something she picked up, but thinking that the rest of the birds are ok, since they should be showing simptoms of illness already if it were contagious... But keep an eye on them all, and quarantine any birds that look like they may be coming down with it.

He also said that she is very thin, but she also hasn't really eaten anything for the last several days... SO, continue to give her anything she will eat, keep her hydrated with pedialyte, and dose her 2x a day, and hope she makes it.

Any one in the Holland Area, Mappleview Animal Hospital will see ANY type of animal, INCLUDING CHICKENS. The vet there, he has his own chickens too, so that makes it nice, he KNOWS chickens.

 

[chicken grandma]

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Taprock, Since I hope to add a new hen or two to my flock, what do you mean by 'throwing in a sacrificial lamb/chicken to see if they were carrying something'? Can't you just do a fecal check on your new birds for cocci? And quarantine for respiratory infections? Have a vet examine for other external conditions like mites/lice? Thank you for informing me. Nancy

 

[Opa]

Years ago I had some jam made from rose hips and I've also drank rose hip tea. So I decided to look up other uses and here you are.

Rose hips are the berry-like fruits of the rose bush left behind after the bloom has died. They are typically red or orange, but may also be dark purple to black in some species. Although nearly all rose bushes produce rose hips, the tastiest for eating purposes come from the Rugusa Rose. Rose hips have a tangy, fruity flavor similar to that of cranberries. The fruits are best harvested after the first frost, which makes them turn bright red and slightly soft.

There are many culinary uses for rose hips. They can be used fresh, dried, or preserved. Rose hips can be used in apple sauce, soups and stews, syrups, puddings, marmalade, tarts, breads, and pie, or made into a jam or jelly. Each hip comprises an outer fleshy layer which may contain up to 150 seeds embedded in a matrix of fine hairs. The irritating hairs should be removed before using the rose hips in a recipe.
Rich in Vitamin C
Rose hips of some species, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), are a rich source of vitamin C. With one to two percent vitamin C, by dry weight, rose hips have a higher content than citrus fruit. During World War II when imports of citrus products to Great Britain were limited, tons of rose hips were harvested there from the wild to make rose hip syrup as a vitamin C supplement for children.
Medicinal Properties
In addition to their culinary uses, roses were also valued for their medicinal properties. In AD 77 the Roman writer Pliny recorded 32 disorders that responded to treatment with rose preparations. Medieval herbals contained many entries that tell of the restorative properties of rose preparations.

The anti-inflammatory properties of rose hips have recently been shown to be useful in the treatment of patients suffering from knee or hip osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease affecting over 20 million Americans. It is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage in the joint, allowing bones to rub against each other, causing pain and loss of movement.

Scientists in Denmark reported that patients who daily consumed standardized rose hip powder (made from dog rose) experienced significantly less joint stiffness and pain, and an improved general well-being and mood after 3 to 4 months of treatment. The use of rose hip powder also enabled the patients to considerably reduce their standard pain medication. Rosehips contain high levels of antioxidant flavonoids with known anti-inflammatory properties.
Additional Protection
Rose hips also contain carotenoid pigments, plant sterols, tocotrienols and a very high level of anthocyanins, catechins and other polyphenolics, known phytochemicals to protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). They also contain up to 5 % by weight of pectin, a soluble fiber that protects against CVD. In clinical trials, rose hips were seen to reduce C-reactive protein levels, associated with a lower risk of CVD.

The rose hips of Dog Rose are a traditional diuretic and laxative. The rose hips are useful in the treatment of influenza-like infections, diarrhea, and various urinary tract disorders. No side effects are known when rose hips are used in the normal designated amounts.
Herbal Tea
Rosehips are also commonly used to make herbal teas, by boiling the dried or crushed rose hips for10 minutes. About 2 tablespoons of berries are used per pint of water. A half-teaspoon of dried mint may be added to give a different flavor, or the acid-tasting tea may be sweetened. Rose hip tea may also be improved by blending with hibiscus flowers.

 

[taprock]

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The Dr. told me to do the 30 day quarantine on new chickens and then put one of my birds that I can afford to lose in with them for another 10 days and see what happens to them. He didn't say anything about having a vet check them. I checked them over for the lice and mite and gave them all baths. They were also all treated with Sulmet during the quarantine. Where I am that isn't really an option because I haven't found a vet that will work with poultry. It sure would be easier to just have them checked over but I'm not sure if that tells you everything. I'd love to learn these things before it costs me my birds but I seem to be learning the hard way.

 

[chicken grandma]

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The Dr. told me to do the 30 day quarantine on new chickens and then put one of my birds that I can afford to lose in with them for another 10 days and see what happens to them. He didn't say anything about having a vet check them. I checked them over for the lice and mite and gave them all baths. They were also all treated with Sulmet during the quarantine. Where I am that isn't really an option because I haven't found a vet that will work with poultry. It sure would be easier to just have them checked over but I'm not sure if that tells you everything. I'd love to learn these things before it costs me my birds but I seem to be learning the hard way.

I would have thought the Sulmet would have helped clear Cocci but like you said, there are different strains of it. And I guess it can live in the intestinal lining for years even if the chicken has recovered from Coccidia. I am so sorry. I hope all the chickens survive and then I hope you close your flock so nothing goes in or out for a while. The Cocci can live in the soil for 4 years so that makes bringing in new chicks a problem.
We are fortunate to have vets in W. Mich who can do an exam and head off problems if we want to handle new chickens that way. I will probably do a vet exam and fecal check plus quarantine.Thanks for sharing so we can all learn and help each other. God bless, Nancy

 

[taprock]

Thanks Opa. I have the Rosa Rugosa but it has been years since I have thought about using them. I find it interesting about the joint pain. My husband deals with a lot of it because of "Gulf war syndrome" or whatever the dr. chooses to call it - it changes with each visit. I can dry them and then think of a way to sneak it into our diet!

 

[ChicwannaB]

ChicwannaB is going to make pickled eggs today and stay in out of the wind.